


Easing the Burden

by donutsweeper



Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Schmoop, Translation Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: After an exceptionally long and terrible day all Watson wanted was to slip into Baker Street and go to sleep.That was, thankfully, not to be.





	Easing the Burden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tjs_whatnot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjs_whatnot/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [И станет легче](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14906832) by [Little_Unicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Unicorn/pseuds/Little_Unicorn)



It was the early hours of the morning when Watson finally made his way home. He let himself in as quietly as possible, knowing Mrs. Hudson had long since gone down for the night. Pausing before the stairs he sighed, seventeen steps shouldn't seem like much, but after days like this one when…. 

Best not to think about that.

Progress up the steps was slow, but he did his best to keep his step soft, on the off chance that Holmes was asleep it would be better not to wake him. Please, he let a prayer go heavenwards, let him be if not asleep, at least abed.

"Good god, old man, what happened to you?" Holmes called from the doorway of the sitting room.

So much for his prayers, Watson thought with a sigh. There would be little chance of getting to bed without incident now. "It has been an exceedingly long day, Holmes. If you don't mind—"

"What happened to your eye?" Quickly ushering Watson into the room ahead of him, Holmes shut the door, preventing Watson any means for an easy escape to his own bedroom.

"A slight altercation, that's all."

"That is by no means all." Holmes grabbed Watson's chin, but there was a surprising tenderness in how he tilted his head to get a better look. Although already slightly swollen, the bruising had yet to fully emerge, but it was enough to be noticeable under Holmes' sharp gaze. "This will look quite ghastly in the morning. You're lucky there appears to be no damage to the occipital lobe."

Watson merely shrugged in response, luck had little to do with it. He knew how to dodge a blow, but also when to turn with the punch to lessen the impact if it had to connect.

"What happen?" he repeated, his voice hard and more demanding.

"Nothing I didn't deserve. Truly, Holmes, there is no great mystery to be solved here. Let it go," Watson said as he tried to move away.

But Holmes did not loosen his grip, he forced Watson to look him in the eye as he said, "The mystery is why you think you could ever do such a thing to deserve receiving a blow such as this. It would have required actions that you are incapable of, my dear fellow."

Unable to turn away, Watson lowered his eyes instead. "It was my fault," he explained. "I thought I might save her, but in the end my skills were not enough."

"Influenza." It was a statement rather than a question. Holmes knew full well that a particularly virulent strain had been sweeping through London this winter, people had talked of little else over the past several weeks. "You yourself said the medical community was at a loss with how to combat—" 

"Do not throw my words back at me, Holmes. You have no knowledge of the particulars of this case. I should have acted sooner! If I only had—" but Watson's words were cut off when Holmes pulled him forward into a gentle kiss.

"Watson. Dear, Watson. You are always so ready to take the blame for things going wrong onto your magnificent shoulders, even when you have done everything without your power to make those things right. Come, I know after a day like today that pressure must make you feel wretched, let me ease your burden."

"Holmes," Watson replied, less as a protest and more as of a sigh.

"I beg of you, Watson," Holmes said, his tone tinged with a softness even Watson rarely heard. "Permit me to do this for you. Please?"

"How could I refuse such a request?" A smile teased at Watson's lips as the ache in his chest finally began to lessen. He was exhausted and it might still be hours before he would might continue on his way to his bed, but he was quite sure it would be time exceedingly well spent.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Easing The Burden (The Spanish Flu Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15928304) by [havisham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/pseuds/havisham)




End file.
